Pekka Rinne, Nashville’s Masterton nominee

The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is annually given out to the player, “who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.”

Each city’s chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association nominates a player from its team. This year, the Nashville PHWA chapter is proud to announce the Pekka Rinne is our nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

We believe Pekka truly embodies the ideals of this trophy. He was not a highly celebrated player early in his career — picked in the eighth round of the 2004 NHL draft at the age of 21. But he has worked his way into one of the top goaltenders in the NHL.

And through his dedication to hockey, along with his humble personality, he has gained the admiration and respect from teammates, coaches, and opponents alike.

“I’m obviously very honored and very humbled to be nominated from Nashville,” Rinne said. “I started playing (ice hockey) when I was six and played street hockey before that. It’s a huge part of my life. It’s something that has given me so much in my life, it’s a huge part of my life and always will be … and along with my family it’s probably my biggest love in my life.”

The vote is also done by the PHWA. Former Predator Steve Sullivan won the Masterton in 2009.